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2014 World Cup Betting: Switzerland vs. France Picks & Odds

Switzerland and France collide in the second round of Group E with top spot on the line. Predictably, odds makers favour France to win outright and, at the same time, disadvantage Switzerland severely. Will this match fall in line with the World Cup odds, or will we have another eye-bulging upset?

France
win openerFrance beat Honduras 3-0 to climb to the top of Group
E. Although Honduras fell short of the mark, the match itself didn’t. Make no
mistake, Les Bleus had all to do to stave off the Hondurans. So fraught with
tension and controversy, it had a little bit of everything: a red card; a
penalty; an own goal; and goal-line technology controversy, marking the first
time in the history of the event the avant-garde system was put to use. It was clear the Hondurans weren’t going to be
pushovers. What wasn’t exactly clear was whether they were going to play
football. They brought such physicality and intensity to the field, that it took France et all by surprise: bringing to mind a brutal NFL takedown rather
than the beautiful game of football. Credit to the French, though, they
remained calm in the face of Hurricane Honduras, and managed to play enough
football to seal the convincing win.

Largely down to their convincing
performance, France’s odds to win Group E have improved from -150 to -250. To
simply advance they’ve improved to a staggering -2000, but, arguably, the most
auspicious move in World Cup betting markets comes in the form of their odds to
win outright, which are now down from +2200 to +1600.

Switzerland
win openerSwitzerland came back from behind to draw level and – late, late, oh so very late
in the match – a last gasp effort in stoppage time sealed the 2-1 victory over
Ecuador. It wasn’t pretty. Nor was it
particularly convincing by the stoic Swiss. It was a win, nonetheless. On the
back of which they are second in Group E, and well in the running for a spot in
the knockouts.

The first half saw the Swiss mightily
frustrated by Ecuador’s stubborn defending. Creative opportunities were neatly
deflected and Ecuador’s goalkeeper made some stalwart stops between the posts.
The Swiss were knocking on but not quite getting through the door. In the
second half, Hitzfeld made some key changes, mainly substituting in Admir
Mehmedi. The striker made an instant impact, scoring the tying goal three
minutes into the second half. Just when it looked like the Swiss would settle
on a share in the spoils, Hitzfeld made another substitution. This time he gave
Haris Seferovic the nod. Wouldn’t you know it, the decision proved savvy once
again as Seferovic delivered the shock coup de grace late in stoppage time to
lift Switzerland to victory.

France
vs. Switzerland match betting tips and picksCompared to their respective openers, France and
Switzerland should enjoy an entirely different second round match. France’s
free-flowing football should be on full display, while Swiss fluidity, neat
passing and stoic defending will prove a stern test. Indeed, this should be an
exciting matchup between tournament dark horse France and value underdog
Switzerland. Hopefully, a closer one than odds makers would have you believe, and a higher goal tally than they are predicting. Sportsbooks match France at
-125 to win outright while matching Switzerland at whopping +400 odds to win
outright. The 'under' 2.5 is favoured at -138.

On the whole, France were more convincing
in their opener than were the Swiss. However, the last gasp effort by the Swiss
to beat Ecuador could be the catalyst to a much better performance here. This
is an entirely different matchup, against a familiar European foe. More than a
few pundits and experts, alike, are of the opinion that the Swiss could in fact
deliver the upset here: if not by winning the match entirely then at least by
forcing the draw, which can be backed at +270. Keep in mind, a win here almost
assures the winner a spot in the knockouts. So you can expect both sides will
be in top form on the night.

World
Cup Free Picks: Switzerland to win at +400; Over
2.5 at +108 for your soccer pick.